Does a soldier lose some of their "protection" when they wear civilian clothes to avoid detection?

Question

The stories about the soldiers accused of rape and murder in Iraq say they tchanged out of their uniforms to avoid detection. In some instances a soldier would lose "protection" if captured in civilian clothes.
Are the men accused in Iraq "soldiers" "spies" or "enemy combantants?"

Answer 1

This must not be true anymore since all terrorists (no uniform, no national affiliation) have been given the protection of the Geneva Convention and the U.S. Constitution. So the "uniform" rule must not apply anymore.

I say once a U.S. soldier, always a U.S. soldier, and Gold bless every single one of them. I don't care what he/she is wearing. But if those soldiers did what they are accused of, I hope they get locked up for a long, long time.

Answer 2

If terrorists are allowed by our laws to do it, soldiers should be too.